So, the second half of the first season of Discovery has started and "Despite Yourself" (directed by Jonathan Frakes) was a darn good episode! I should say that quite possibly the best episode yet! There had been some foreshadowing and some things were predictable, but a things didn't quite go as I expected them to. I was quite surprised! (Though I must say one character acted stupid.)

Discovery was just meh before the season break, but I gotta say, this show is officially off the chain now. Been hearing a lot of people hate these new twists, but I'm all on board.

This isn't a spoiler thread, so I need to be vague, but I can't say that any of the major revelations were surprising. I also think they need to wrap up the current storyline quite soon. And I was a bit annoyed that the latest episode lasted only 34 minutes sans titles.

Discovery was just meh before the season break, but I gotta say, this show is officially off the chain now. Been hearing a lot of people hate these new twists, but I'm all on board.

This isn't a spoiler thread, so I need to be vague, but I can't say that any of the major revelations were surprising. I also think they need to wrap up the current storyline quite soon. And I was a bit annoyed that the latest episode lasted only 34 minutes sans titles.

Really? You even saw the last one coming? I'm impressed. That part blew me away. Though I gotta admit, I've been watching these from the "high ground", if you catch my drift. So I may have missed some subtle clues.

Discovery was just meh before the season break, but I gotta say, this show is officially off the chain now. Been hearing a lot of people hate these new twists, but I'm all on board.

This isn't a spoiler thread, so I need to be vague, but I can't say that any of the major revelations were surprising. I also think they need to wrap up the current storyline quite soon. And I was a bit annoyed that the latest episode lasted only 34 minutes sans titles.

Really? You even saw the last one coming? I'm impressed. That part blew me away. Though I gotta admit, I've been watching these from the "high ground", if you catch my drift. So I may have missed some subtle clues.

Yes, as soon as the current story line became evident, the more than subtle hints that had been dropped became clear (especially in the episode before the seadon break).

Yes, as soon as the current story line became evident, the more than subtle hints that had been dropped became clear (especially in the episode before the seadon break).

Yeah, that's what I thought was so cool, the fact that a few things that I brushed off as just character development things actually had a significance to the story. Definitely excited for tomorrow's episode. I was a bit annoyed by the shortness of last week's episode as well, so definitely hoping we get a longer one.

And the last episode of the season was a rush job... There were a few episodes I liked, but overall the series is... uneven is a kind word for it. They should have set it at least 50 years after Voyager instead.

And the last episode of the season was a rush job... There were a few episodes I liked, but overall the series is... uneven is a kind word for it. They should have set it at least 50 years after Voyager instead.

It's too bad. I've got a couple months of All Access at a reduced rate (signed up mainly to get some of the CBS playoff games), so I'll be diving back in. But based on what you've said, and other reviews, my expectations aren't high. I think I've seen the first 3 episodes. So I'll probably dive back in this weekend starting with episode 4.

Episode 4:
Things still felt a bit shaky here with another colossal moment of stupidity with the security chief deciding to just open the force field to cut off a claw from the tardigrade. What a waste of Rekha Sharma. After BSG, was looking forward to seeing her in an ongoing sci-fi show. But, the show was moving into some interesting areas with the tardigrade and eventually using it to travel via the spore drive. Reminded me of Voyager's "Equinox" and I liked the morally difficult areas they would explore with this thread, and enjoyed seeing Michael working to help the tardigarde over the next few episodes, ultimately doing what was best for it.

Episode 5:
This was easily the best episode up to this point with no glaring stupid moments from characters. I liked much of what we saw here. Ash Tyler was a nice addition to the show and I appreciated the uncertainty of whether he could be trusted, something they did not overplay. Watching him and Lorca fighting their way out together was great. Harry Mudd was a nice addition, though big mistake leaving him there. I wouldn't trust him or want him around, but leaving that sort of guy around to scheme and plot revenge against you? Not a good idea. Meanwhile, on board Discovery, Saru was one character I had not been liking much up to this point, but his stint in the captain's chair went a long way towards changing that. He was in a difficult spot, but handled it well. Also, I just loved the mirror scene at the end. Freaky, but cool.

Episode 6:
Not as entertaining to me as the previous episode, but still solid. I'm still not thrilled with the Vulcan background for Burnham, but they had some interesting details in here, especially Sarek having to choose between Michael and Sarek and that choice being a waste in the end with Spock choosing another path. I was much more interested in Admiral Cornwell, who I'm loving. Interesting dynamic between her and Lorca, and it certainly seemed like the latter was willing to sacrifice her to delay/prevent losing his ship.

Episode 7:
I imagine this will be one of the fan favorites of the season. I did like it, though I still favor episode 5. I'm glad they didn't keep us waiting too long for Mudd's revenge. The time loop aspect was neat, but we've seen this before with Cause and Effect. I didn't find as much impact here because of that. Still, fun episode.

Episode 8:
Not as interesting as some of the other episodes, though I liked the Star Trek feel to this episode with them being down on a planet exploring, and finding beings interested in peace between them and the Klingons. Feels right out of TOS. Certainly, good set up for the next episode.

Episode 9:
Mid-season finale. Pretty solid. I liked the discomfort generated in watching them make so many jumps, knowing its taking a terrible toll on Stamets. I didn't catch this myself, but appreciated the nod to RDM/BSG/"33" with the number 133 for the total number of jumps as pointed out on "After Trek." Was not expecting that Klingon leader and his ship of the dead to be defeated/destroyed, but well done. Besides Stamets and the spore drive, more difficult material with Ash and his torture/imprisonment...heavy, but important/real themes.

Episode 10:
Pretty solid start to this Mirror Universe arc, however long it lasts. Some of the details I liked were those torture chambers, the way the bridge crew responded to Burnham killing her successor in the turbolist and how they saluted her and the Empire. Also, "After Trek" gave some details on some of the various medals the crew wore and earned, one for instance signifying 50 kills. Felt like video game badges. Nice touch. Enjoyed the reference to Defiant and Enterprise's Mirror episodes. Interested in seeing how they connect and where this goes. Definitely dreading what the Mirror Discovery could be up to in the other universe, which I think they suggested is where its at. And wondering who the Emperor is...someone we know, I'm guessing.

And the last episode of the season was a rush job... There were a few episodes I liked, but overall the series is... uneven is a kind word for it. They should have set it at least 50 years after Voyager instead.

Yeah. I thought the series found more stable footing in the middle with episodes 5 through 9. I was excited about where things were at and they seemed poised for a strong finish. Unfortunately, I was not too pleased with episodes 11 through 15.

SPOILERS below.

I had commented in my thoughts above about episodes 9 and 10 that they were presenting "difficult material with Ash and his torture/imprisonment." I wondered how they were going to connect with Enterprise's Mirror Universe (MU) eps and the Defiant (which Discovery had specifically name-dropped). As with a lot of other things, these ideas/details went nowhere.

It was disappointing that after a promising first episode in the MU, the rest of the way all we got was a fight for the throne in more elaborately dressed up rooms/hallways. All the interesting questions about Lorca and where he was headed and what he was up to just gets chalked up to him being EVIL because he's from the MU. And then he gets killed off.

The complexity and horror of what Ash had gone through got easily handled by whatever L'Rell did to him and he seemed just fine the rest of the way. And what was her plan, anyway? What was the undercover Klingon bit supposed to accomplish?

The Terran Emperor being given command of Discovery for the critical mission at the Klingon homeworld was baffling to me. You know what would have been interesting if they wanted to use a Terran officer/character...Lorca. He was the captain of the ship all season and knows that crew, and for us as viewers it would have been interesting to see him back in the center chair knowing who he really was and from where. That could have worked out due to him failing in his coup and being forced to retreat back to the Prime Universe (possibly with us the viewers knowing who he really was but not Burnham and the others); and/or he could have been given a more interesting goal within the MU than toppling the Emperor for power. Either way, all the time spent with him could have been paid off in a more interesting way by including him in the last couple episodes.

The stuff with Stamets and his counterpart also seemed like a waste of time when the solution was just him waking up (and with the MU version then just killed).

The final episode: I was puzzled by the scenes on the planet...didn't seem so Klingon-like. There's a war raging, but humans wandering around was okay? Felt like that kind of den would have been fine on another planet, but not there. And how disappointing that the Klingon situation is resolved by just handing L'Rell a bomb to hold the other Houses hostage. All the time spent with her early in the season and the whole thing with Voq, and in the end she hasn't really accomplished anything on her own and just gets handed a detonator. And we're supposed to believe that's all it takes to unite the 24 Houses. That's a laughable note on which to end the war for this season.

I really wish they hadn't tried to cram in so much this season. It's not enough to just through throw whatever you can at the screen to entertain and keep things moving. I want events and the characters to be well thought out, consistently portrayed, and to make some kind of sense.

I'm definitely interested enough to keep watching, though I'm not sure whether I'll sign up for All Access when the new season begins or wait.